Shaiton's Fire and Hosea

What??

Yeah, I just finished 2 books. I'm still trying to read, um....I think I have 3 others going. They are NOT fiction. One is a book about difficult children. Fun. The other is about Jesus. Interesting. But I don't devour books like that. Now, fiction on the other hand....especially if it is a really GOOD story, I can rip right through. As I did with Shaiton's Fire by Jake Thoene.

Following a vicious attack in San Francisco, the FBI's new domestic counterterrorism unit, Chapter 16, races to capture the perpetrators. Special Agent Steve Alstead faces a crisis in his family and his faith, but as he pursues the suspected terrorists, he discovers a more sinister peril that threatens the security of countless lives...and America itself.

-synopsis from Shaiton's Fire

I especially like stories that are realistic and have lots of action and suspense. This fit the bill. Plus, you throw in the fact that all the good-guys have a healthy belief in God and it's the making of a dynamic read. The bad guys are an Al-Quaeda splinter group....that should give you chills.

I finished it much too quick, but the good new is that there are two more books in the series. I'm now reading Firefly Blue. It's a slower start than Shaiton's Fire but the characters being introduced have me hooked!

This morning I finished the book of Hosea. I'm trying to read the Bible through-again. I think the first time I read the Bible completely through, I was a teenager and I'm sure I retained about 13% of what I read. I've read it COMPLETELY through at least once as an adult. My brain tends to turn to mush somewhere in the middle of Jeremiah and I get stuck. I can handle the repetition of Numbers and Chronicles. I just can't get a grasp on all the prophets. So, I figured I'd start in the prophets and see how I go from there. Daniel was pretty easy. Hosea has been interesting. Here are my favorite verses:

Hosea 6:1-3

Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.

Hosea 10:12

Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

Hosea 13:9

O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help.

Hosea 14:4

I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.

Tomorrow I dive into Joel.

Tomorrow I don't work. Perhaps I'll have a chance to catch you up on my life this past month. It's been a whirlwind!

Have a wonderful day!

100 Truths

001. Real name → Samara Rae Wilson

002. Nickname(s)→ Mara, Samarii Warrior, Mar, Smear

003. Zodiac sign → =S

004. Male or female → Female

005. Elementary →Washington and Park Elementary Schools

006. Middle School → Marinette Middle School

007. High School → Marinette Senior High School

008. Hair color → Brown

009. Long or short → Long, between bottom and knees

010. Loud or Quiet → both

011. Sweats or Jeans → Jean skirts

012. Phone or Camera → camera, when I remember it

013. Health freak → trying

014. Smoke? → nope

015. Do you have a crush on someone? Yes--Robert Redford and Mel Gibson

016. Eat or Drink → Drink...I'm actually really thirsty right now but don't want to get up. Blah.

017. Piercings → Old ones in my ears but don't wear earrings anymore

018. Body piercings→ Nope

HAVE YOU EVER?
019. Been in an airplane→ Yes

020. Been in a relationship → Yes--a few. But this one is real and forever!

021. Been in a car accident → Yes--3

022. Been in a fist fight → Yes--with my siblings, but that doesn't really count. Came really close once when a friend took off with my car in high school

FIRSTS:
023. First piercing → My 6th birthday...sapphire earrings

024. First best friend? Hong Chang

025. First award → It was in elementary school. Presidential Fitness Award or something like that!

026. First crush → John Gannon

027. First Vacation → Laramie, WY

LASTS:
028. Last time you cried -- Sunday morning

029. Last person you talked to → Lynne

030. Last person you texted → Johnny on his sister's phone

031. Last person you watched a movie with → My dad --we were visiting and he had it on

032. Last food you ate → a paczki

033. Last movie you watched → Ghost Rider @ Dad's

034. Last song you listened to → Refiner's Fire

035. Last thing you bought → a coke for Mikey

036. Last person you hugged → Riley

FAVES:
037. Food → fresh veggies and fruit

038. Drinks → lemonade

039. Clothing → right now, anything that fits comfortably

040. Flower → Lilies

041. Store --- Christopher & Banks

042. Colors → Purple, yellow, orange and green

043. Movies → nada

044. Subjects → history and sciences

In 2008,I....
045. [x] kissed someone

046. [ ] celebrated Halloween

047. [ ] had your heart broken

048. [ ] went over the minutes/texts on your cell phone

049. [ ] someone questioned your sexual orientation

050. [ ] came out of the closet

051. [ ] got pregnant

052. [ ] had an abortion

053. [X] did something you've regretted

054. [ ] broke a promise

055. [X] hid a secret

056. [X] pretended to be happy

057. [ ] met someone who changed your life

058. [ ] pretended to be sick

059. [ ] left the country

060. [X] tried something you normally wouldn't try and liked it

061. [X] cried over the silliest thing

062. [ ] ran a mile

063. [x] went to the beach with your best friend(s)

064. [x] got into an argument with your friends

065. [ ] hated someone

066. [ ] stayed single the whole year

CURRENTLY:
067. Eating → Nothing

068. Drinking → Gah, still thirsty

069. I'm about to → go to get kids at bus stop

070. Listening to → refridgerator hum

071. Plans for today → get house tidied at least a little, make dinner, church

072. Waiting for → life to be normal again...probably won't ever happen

YOUR FUTURE:
073. Want kids? → got 'em, can I give 'em back? no, just kidding. I love my loonies!

074. Want to get married? → Actually yes! I want the big wedding and dress and bridesmaids and the whole thing. We had a private ceremony at a friend's home and I regret never doing the big shebang.

075. Careers in mind → nursing, dental hygiene, early childhood education....not necessarily in that order

WHICH IS BETTER WITH A BOY/GIRL
076. Lips or eyes → my hubbies lips hooked me from the start! But I also love his eyes. they laugh!

077. Shorter or taller?→ Taller--Mike is good tall. He's look funny short.

078. Romantic or spontaneous → Romantic--Mike is more spontaneous and that is fun. But I like romance.

079. Nice stomach or nice arms → Arms & hands--mike has strong hands and wonderful arms that hold me tight!

080. Sensitive or loud → sensitive--I don't like loud. Loud is bad.

081. Hook-up or relationship → relationship--don't believe in hook-ups. Never have. Never will.

082. Trouble-maker or hesitant → trouble maker--like all my boys, right???

HAVE YOU EVER:
083. Lost glasses/contacts - Yes, spent many a morning as a child looking for them and finding them usually in the hampers. *shrugs* Never lost a contact, or my glasses as an adult. But if they fall I can't find them myself, even though I know where they are. I'm blind. ;)

084. Snuck out of your house → Nope

085. Held a gun/knife for self defense → Scissors, all night.

086. Killed somebody → No. Looks can't hurt anyone.

087. Broken someone's heart → Yes, I'm sorry. Really, I am.

088. Been arrested → NO

089. Cried when someone died → Yes

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
090. Yourself → Yes. God made me and I'm special!

091. Miracles → Definitely. There are miracles happening everyday. I don't believe in coincidence

092. Love at first sight → Um, "I really like you at first sight"

093. Heaven → Yup. I'm planning on going there.

094. Santa Claus → No

095. Sex on the first date → NO--save it for marriage

096. Kiss on the first date → NO--save it for marriage

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:
097. Is there one person you want to be with right now? → Yes--Mike, alone!

098. Are you seriously happy with where you are in life? → Not really. I'm stressed. But it's my own fault.

099. Do you believe in God → Yes, He is my everything!

100. Did you like this quiz -- Not really but it gave me something to post. And I'm really sorry if you don't like it either. It's kind of lame-o. But at least you heard from me and know I'm still living and breathing.

I might actually have something interesting to say one of these days when I have time to really sit down and think about something besides where I have to be in the next 1/2 hour.

Forgive me.

INSOMNIA

My mom suffers from insomnia and I really could never understand it. I thought, "if you're tired, go to bed!"

Now I know, first-hand, that going to bed does not guarantee sleep.

I have to work in the morning....subbing in a Headstart classroom of 18 kids. How in the world am I gonna function?

Making matters worse is the fact that Mike is suffering from a head cold and took LOTS of Benedryl before going to bed.

Now he is sprawled over 3/4 of the bed. I can't get him to BUDGE!!! Ugh.

Ok....I'm gonna try to count sheep.

G'nite....I hope!

Valentine's Day Breakfast for all the boys I LOVE

As of Friday night, I still had not decided exactly what to do for my guys for Valentine's Day. Two years ago, I got a babysitter for the boys and I made a very romantic dinner for Mike. He had no idea I had anything planned. I whisked the kids over to a friend's house just to get home a few minutes ahead of Mike and get the finishing touches on our candle light dinner of beef tenderloin and shrimp all set out on a table decked with a red tablecloth covered with a white crocheted tablecloth. It was very pretty. We finished dinner off with my homemade Chocolate Ganache Cheesecake. To. Die. For. Yum.

Then, while the kiddos where away, I wanted to play and Mike decided we'd go to Walmart! Ugh.

Last year was Mike's turn to surprise me.

He invited me out to a seafood lunch at a little diner called Joey's (not to be confused with Joey's Crab Shack--but just as good!) in downtown Houghton. That wasn't the surprise. The surprise was that he got me flowers and chocolates and had them all waiting for me at the table, ensconsed in one of the storefront windows. It was very nice!

So. Earlier this past week, I bought some candy and a small stuffed animal for each of the boys (stuffed animals at V-day and Easter seems to be a tradition).

But Saturday was still a mystery to me. The boys and I were going to a Church Dedication service in Hancock later that afternoon so it wasn't like I could do anything special for Mike. It had to be a family affair.

What do you do at 8am? Cook breakfast.

I had almost decided on oatmeal or bagels the night before. But as I rolled out of bed Saturday morning I decided a special breakfast was in store.

My husband loves crepes. Mikey loves crepes and can even cook them! So crepes it was!!

This is the recipe we use:

4 eggs

1 1/3 cup milk

2 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

In medium bowl, slightly beat eggs then add all other ingredients. Beat until smooth.

Heat crepe pan over med-high heat. Spray with cooking spray.

Pour 1/2 cup batter into hot pan, immediately tilting pan until batter covers bottom of pan. Cook until edges start to dry and center is set. Turn to brown other side.

We have our crepes!

Now we fill them:

3 tbsp small curd cottage cheese

3 tbsp sliced strawberries in syrup

(I thickened my syrup by heating it in microwave until boiling, then adding a tbsp cornstarch and heating again til thick)

Roll crepes, sprinkle with powdered sugar, red decorating sugar and draw a heart with chocolate syrup

Ta da!

They were an absolute hit!

PS. You can make smaller crepes by using 1/4 cup batter and putting less filling in each one. My boys are big eaters!

Taking it Easy

Stolen from a stranger
Because I don't feel like doing a real post and yet I want to post something....

1. Make a list of things you can see without getting up: My painting, Swans in Gold; Riley eating breakfast, a dying poinsettia, a super-duper laser printer that I can't imagine living without (how did I survive without it for so long?); the cluttered kitchen counter .

2. Favorite football team: Green Bay Packers GO! PACK! GO!

3. What are you wearing now? a pink nightgown and pink slippers--I believe in coordinating my wardrobe! ;)

4. What color is your bedroom? a deep red to go with my nautical theme--it's awesome!

5. What’s the last thing you read/are currently reading? The Explosive Child - Ross W. Greene, Ph.D.

6. Do you nap a lot? No. I try to take a nap every Sunday. Other than that it's only when I'm thoroughly exhausted.

7. Who was the last person you hugged? Riley -- had to get my daily dose of lovin'!

8. What’s your current obsession/addiction? Pioneer Woman

9. What was the last thing you said aloud? to Riley as he ran off with MY yogurt, "Sit at the table it you're gonna eat it."

10. What web sites do you always visit when you go online? my favorite blogs (on the side bar), up.net, Facebook, and MSN.com for my daily dose of news

11. What was the last thing you bought? gas...$20 gave me 3/4 tank

12. What are you listening to right now? Riley playing Lego's, he's got an air raid going down.

13. What is something you wish you could do more? Go out with Mike without the kids. Especially to visit friends & play a game or just be alone for awhile.

14. If you could have any super power, what would it be? The power to clone whenever I have too many things to do. Just clone a few of myself and, VOILA!, delegate duties. It's all done!

15. What is your favorite weather, and why? Balmy days with a light breeze....right about 65-70*F is good.

16. What time do you usually get up? Weekdays I get up at 6:00 or a bit before so I can get the kids out to the car by 6:40. Saturdays I TRY to sleep in, about 8:30-ish, but it depends on the kids. Sundays, I have to be up and ready for church so I get up between 6:30-7:00 so I can get totally prepared before the kids get up. Unless I still have stuff to prepare for Sunday School, then it's 5-ish. Ick!

17. What is your most challenging goal right now? It's a toss up: Being patient with my family now that I'm working more hours and nothing gets done at home OR losing weight. Depends on the day.

18. Say something to the person who tagged you: ummm....nobody tagged me. I stole this thing, remember? But I'll say "Hi, I love your blog!" to Angela anyway. =)

19. If you could have a house–totally paid for, fully furnished–anywhere in the world, where would you want it to be? I'd still want to be in the UP, but instead of being in the middle of the woods with a horrible well, and a gravel quarry behind my property, I'd want to be right on the water (Lake Superior & Lake Michigamme are good). But I'd also need like 120 acres to surround me.

20. Favorite vacation spot? So far, Hawaii has to be my favorite. I loved it and want to go back but take my husband and kids next time.

21. What is your favorite children’s book? Bear Wants More and Bear Snores On I love the rhyming story and the illustrations are so adorable! I haven't read the others, YET!

22. Name one thing you just can’t resist no matter how bad it is for you: McDonald's Chicken Selects dipped in Ranch and Buffalo sauce and a large Mocha. Yum-O!

23. If you could meet anyone famous - dead or alive - who would it be? I have no idea......um, maybe Martin Luther King, Jr. Or maybe Anastasia Nikolaevna and her family.

24. Have you ever met anyone famous? If so who? Yup, I met Davy Jones and Sally Struthers when I went to a play in Chicago during my Senior year of high school. It was cool to meet them but the play, a modernistic version of Grease, was lame.

25. If you could have any job in the world , what would it be? I want to be a stay-at-home mom that doesn't feel like she needs to work to make ends meet.

If any of you are in the mood for a super easy don't-have-to-think-about-it post, feel free to follow my example and steal this from me.

Mouse Tales

Hey everyone! I haven't forgotten about you. This has just been a very, very, very busy week. It has left me run down, cold and exhausted. Tonight I feel really icky. I don't even know how to explain it. Just icky.

But...I have a great story to tell. This happened Sunday night. I wanted to post it first thing Monday morning but I'm trying to get my priorities straightened out now before I go adding bigger responsibilities like school into the picture. Plus the boys had a 2 hour delay so there was no blogging for me.

Sunday night I was all tucked in, ready to doze off and Mike went out to the kitchen for a glass of Crystal Light. All of a sudden he calls me to come see something.

Oh, I did not want to get out of that bed. I asked him if it could wait and he was adamant that I come out there right then and see it. So, being the ever obedient wife *cough*, I did.

I heard scratching coming from under the kitchen cupboard where we keep the paper garbage.

I'm no dummy and I knew immediately what it meant...a MOUSE! Oiy!

So I instructed my husband, in a very terse, no-nonsense, manner to get it out of the house. So he grabs the bag, rolls the top of it and shakes it like there's no tomorrow.

Now, not to brag on myself or anything, but I am THE Mouse Warrior in this household. I take it very personally when a mouse intrudes on my domain. I once clobbered a mouse with a chunk of 2X4. Another time I took out a rude mouse staring at me in the bathroom with a package of Scott Toilet Tissue. Then there was the time I trapped a mouse behind the microwave with sticky traps on either side and used a fly swatter to herd him into one of them.

Anyway, I tell Mike to flatten the mostly-empty bag and lay it on the floor. I'm gonna do Mickey in with the broom this time. No fooling around.

Instead, Mike puts the AIR-TIGHT, rolled, paper bag on the floor and proceeds to........


JUMP ON IT!

It burst. You knew that was coming right?

Well, it's after 11pm and the kids are sleeping but that didn't stop me from letting out a blood-curdling scream as the big, fat mouse flew out of that hole, propelled by the force of the trapped air, into the middle of the kitchen floor. At that point there was no getting at him without also smacking Mike, but maybe I should've done it anyway. He definitely deserved it after that huge, yes, HUGE, mouse ran off into the dark corners of the house.


I had nightmares of mice. Reepicheep mean anything to you?